G24 Innovations has sent what it calls the first commercial shipment of flexible dye-sensitized solar modules to Mascotte Industrial Associates, a Hong Kong-based consumer electronics bag manufacturer. The G24i DSSC units, which are produced on the company’s roll-to-roll production line in Wales, will be integrated into a range of products, including backpacks and camera bags.
The G24i module is based on a technology invented by Michael Grätzel, director of the Laboratory of Photonics and Interfaces at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne. The company first acquired a license to manufacture the technology in 2006, with unlimited worldwide distribution rights.
“We’ve achieved this milestone through a sustained focus on transforming a highly promising technology from the lab to mass production, such that it can be applied to a variety of commercial opportunities,” said CEO John Hartnett. “Our strategic partnership with EPFL, our research initiatives with industry leaders, and our investment in a proprietary roll-to-roll manufacturing process, have enabled G24i to achieve this breakthrough. Our goal is to deliver the future of mobile energy by personalizing solar power, which we will achieve by remaining at the forefront of design and development of this revolutionary light-harvesting technology.”
G24i says that this annoucement is the first of a number of commercial partnerships under active development. As it builds its manufacturing to mass production levels, the company is focused on expanding the DSSC product portfolio through R&D and partnerships with other consumer product manufacturers, including the forthcoming “Power Up Your Products” program allowing developers to use DSSC in their products and applications.
